How the NASA Space Food Research Lab Works

Food science and food technology fascinate me. Although I try not to eat much processed food in my diet, I find myself both repulsed and delighted by foods such as blue french fries and tang. So I was happy to immerse myself in the world of space food science for this assignment.

Space food has come a long way since the era of John Glenn. Back in the early 1960s, astronauts referred to their meals as “meals in a pill,” but these days astronauts often eat the same foods we do, just processed and packaged a bit differently. What was most surprising was how much can be done by the food science teams at the Johnson Space Center, everything from menu planning and the analysis of the physical and sensory aspects of foods to food product development, research and development of long-term storage and food processing techniques.